Literal Translation
To have bread on the cutting board
Actual Meaning
To have a lot to do
Etymology
This is an expression whose meaning has evolved over time. Initially, it meant that there was no shortage of bread and that people had reserves for the future. Today, the expression is translated as “there is still a lot of work to be done”. Claude Duneton explains this transformation as the result of two slang expressions coming together.
The first is ‘planche à pain’ (bread board), which referred to a court of law (the judges are seated high up like loaves of bread on a board), and the second, ‘manger le pain du roi’ (eat the king’s bread), which meant to be in prison. Years spent in prison were therefore referred to as ‘pains sur la planche’ (loaves of bread on the board), like so many chores still to be done.